


The longest night

by Sadfangirl



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 16:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5546654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadfangirl/pseuds/Sadfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set right after 4x09 - The hospital waiting room.<br/>As the team wait for news, Donna asks the team how they met her daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The longest night

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Arrow or any of the characters.

It had been hours since they'd taken Felicity to surgery. Oliver was still in shock and hadn't spoken to anyone since Felicity had flatlined in front of him. He sat on the floor of the waiting room, back against the wall just staring into space. Diggle remembered that he use to do that a lot. And then remembered there was only one person who could pull him out of that mood, and she wasn't here right now.

**3 hours earlier**

After Oliver and Felicity had left the tree-lighting their family and friends stood around for a few minutes as the crowd dispersed just sharing their joy at the engagement. Donna was beside herself with glee. Her daughter was getting married and she was so proud of her future son-in-law. Donna and Thea hugged each other and soon started to share ideas about the wedding, Thea being just as excited as Donna. 

Even Laurel was happy for the two of them. She and Oliver had finally put the past behind them and although she envied their happiness a little, she didn't begrudge it. She knew in her heart that she would have never had that type of connection with Oliver, he was better off with Felicity. And she only wanted joy for Felicity, the first person who'd believed in her and helped her find the hero in herself. 

But the happiest in the group was a tie between John Diggle and Thea Queen. John was delighted to finally see Oliver stepping up and sealing the deal, he wanted the best for his two best friends and was glad that Oliver had finally put a ring on it. Thea felt she was going to burst with joy. There were times over the past 3 years, after he brother came back, that she thought she'd never see him smile again. But he'd found stability and a home with Felicity - not the obvious choice - given his past, but definitely the right one. 

Suddenly all of the team's phones' alerts went off - curtesy of Felicity's alert software. Laurel looked first and all colour drained from her face. The words on the screen shocked her to her core "Limo shot up by group of ghosts - unknown casualties including fatalities - police and ambulances on the scene."

Quentin Lance was already talking on his police radio checking details. Donna had no idea what was going on. They'd gone from a happy group to something else. Quentin was nodding as the words came fast. He turned to Donna and Thea, working out how he was going to soften this terrible blow "It's them. It's bad. They're on their way to Starling General."

"What's happening?" Donna asked.

Lance answered, owing Donna the truth "It's Oliver and Felicity. Their limo was attacked a few minutes ago - shot up by multiple gunmen so I've been told. They're being taken to the hospital now." Donna burst into tears as her knees gave out. Thea was holding it together a little better, but not by much. Lance motioned over one of the police offers on duty and told him to get an escort ready for their cars. Even though him and Queen had their differences this was not what anyone deserved. Also, he really liked Felicity, and he liked her mother even more. He silently prayed for a miracle.

____

Alex was doing his best to keep the press a bay - but it was getting out of hand. They wanted a statement. But what could he tell them that they didn't already know. His statement said it all.

Mr Queen and Ms Smoak had left the tree lighting ceremony in a limo, to celebrate their engagement. They'd been attacked by a group of gunmen who'd shot up their vehicle, killing the driver and injuring Ms Smoak. Mr Queen had the presence of mind to drive the limo to a safe spot where he called for help. Ms Smoak is currently in surgery. 

He'd worked in some dirty campaigns before, but never anything like this. He just didn't know what to do. He went back to the office to wait for word.

____

Donna couldn't take the silence anymore. She was still getting to know her daughter's friends but she liked what she'd seen so far. But she felt she knew so little about Felicity's life in Star City. How had she found these people, they were such a strange group who didn't seem to have much in common. Her daughter was a computer nerd who'd ended up as a CEO. She was engaged to an ex-billionaire who had spent 5 years stranded on an island. Her best friend was a huge ex-soldier who had the cutest child ever and a wife who scared Donna (and she didn't scare easy). Then there was Laurel - even Donna had read in the tabloids about Oliver and Laurel. But Felicity was friends with Oliver's ex-girlfriend, and Laurel was distraught that Felicity was fighting for her life. To keep her sanity and to keep from heading into misery she decided she wanted to know more.

Donna spoke, the first one in a long time to do so. "Please tell me about my girl. Tell me things I don't know about her. I need to hold on right now, and that will help."

No-one spoke, all just lost in their thoughts. Finally John spoke up "What do you want to know Donna? Because there's so much we can tell you, how special she is, what a good heart she has. How's she saved all of us, again and again."

"How did you meet her?" Donna decided she wanted them to start at the beginning.

"A busted laptop" came Oliver's voice. Quiet, resigned, full of pain, but he continued "I needed someone to get some data off a laptop I had. So I was sent to see Felicity Smoak in the IT department. They told me she could fix anything." Oliver paused, gathering his thoughts. The memories overwhelmed him for a moment, a smile, a red pen and the bluest eyes he's ever seen.

Donna smiled at the comment - Felicity could always fix any computer.

Oliver continued, he wanted Donna to know "She did you know. She fixed the computer, she fixed everything. She even fixed me - eventually. You have to understand, when I came back from the island I found it hard to connect with people. But never with her. Right away it was easy to be around her, to talk to her. And she didn't look at me with fear, she treated me the same as she would anyone else. And when everyone in your life is walking on eggshells around you or expecting that you haven't changed, when you have, it's kind of nice to have someone who treats you normally. So I kept going back to see her, found every excuse in the book to go talk to her."

"That's how I met her" John interrupted. "I don't know if you're aware, but I was Oliver's bodyguard when he came back from the island. And he did do that, always finding a reason to go and see Felicity or call her up to his office. So I met her through him. I think we all did."

Everyone in the room nodded, lost in their own memories of how they first encountered Felicity.

John continued "And boy were his excuses lame. More than once I'd have to walk away to stop myself laughing. Mr Oliver Queen, billionaire playboy, getting tongue-tied by the pretty nerd. She saw right through you." John stopped, looking at Oliver, who had tears in his eyes.

Oliver was remembering everything, becoming friends, partners and slowly realising how much he loved her. He wanted Donna to understand. "I think she was the first woman I'd ever met that I was attracted to that I didn't try it on with right away. I wanted to keep her around. I always knew she was different, special, remarkable. And she became my friend, my partner, my light. I meant what I said earlier, she's the one who lights my way. I just don't know what I'd have become without her." Tears fell silently from Oliver's eyes as he spoke. 

Everyone was silent for a while, lost in memories. Thea walked over to her brother and sat down next to him. She put her arm round his shoulder, trying to offer her comfort.

Laurel went next, "She told me she was a nobody, the first time I encountered her. She babbled a little and told me she needed to talk to Oliver. And I'll admit I was a little put out. All I could see was a geek girl getting the attention I wanted. At the time I expected Oliver to always run after me, but every time he would choose her, he'd run to her if she asked. So I was so mean to her for a really long time, treated her like she was beneath me. I still feel a bit guilty about it to this day. She has never anything but lovely to me - even helped me through some very hard times. And she didn't have to be, it would have been justified, the way I treated her." Laurel turned to Donna "I need to tell her I'm sorry. I've never said that to her. She's the nicest person I've ever met, such a good heart. She doesn't deserve this, not today - not any day. This was suppose to be a happy day." Laurel stopped, as her tears started to flow.

Thea was looking at Donna as she rubbed her brother's arm, understanding the pain that she was in. She'd lost family too, so much loss. It wasn't suppose to be like this, she was suppose to be sitting with Donna, in a bar, celebrating and conspiring on a wedding that would unite the two families. This was just another nightmare that she couldn't wake from.

Thea wanted to share, for everyone "I don't remember ever actually formally meeting Felicity. Suddenly she was just always around. I remember she came to the hospital when my step-father was rescued after being kidnapped, and Ollie introduced her as his friend, which was strange. My brother didn't have female friends." She stopped suddenly, when it occurred to her. She turned to her brother "She helped, didn't she, she helped get Walter back?"

Oliver nodded and answered his sister "Without her, Walter would never have been rescued. She found the clues that led to him." He just hoped Donna wouldn't read that much into what he'd just said.

Thea continued, her voice full of admiration for her future sister-in-law (she hoped) "Even then, including when she worked for Oliver at Queen Consolidated, we didn't really talk to each other for a long time. She always stayed in the background, never put herself forward. I was dealing with my own shit at the time and, selfishly, didn't really take much notice. But later, as time went on and she was still always around I did like what I saw. I liked how she could make my brother smile. I always noticed that, he smiled when she was around. And recently we have gotten close, and I know why she's so loved Donna. She's just Felicity - and you named her well - it means happiness, doesn't it? That's what she gives to all of us. We all love her and would do anything for her, because that's what she'd do for us. Everyone here would die to keep your daughter safe."

"But we didn't" Oliver says softly "I didn't. It was my job to protect her, even if she said she didn't need it." His voice became more earnest, getting louder "I promised, remember I promised you John, right at the start, that I'd protect her, keep her safe. I failed. I saw her, her heart stopped, how do keep going. I can't do this, I can't...not without her."

He paused, gathering his thoughts - then shouted "We should have stayed in Ivy Town. We were happy there, safe there. Why did you make us come back. My fault, mine, I should have said no, kept her there, kept her safe. She was safe..." Oliver started sobbing at this point, burying his face in his arms.

Donna's heart broke for Oliver. She had known from the first day she'd met the young man that he was just as smitten as her daughter was, knew now just how much he loved her. And seeing him like this, believing he'd lost his Felicity mirrored her own pain. Donna could see the will to live drain from the young man, his hope fading as time passed and no news came. She didn't think he'd survive her loss, and looking around the room, she could see the same thought in the others eyes as well.

Quentin walked over to Donna and placed her arm around her, offering some comfort. He knew what it was like to loose a daughter, twice, even though he'd got her back, both times. He thought carefully on how he was going to explain to Donna just how he'd first met her daughter, without revealing all of it. "She use to help me out sometimes, you know, with the computer stuff"

"She never mentioned that" Donna replied "helping the police".

"Your daughter is a very talented woman. And sometimes she could get to information that was maybe out of reach of normal channels. All legal of course." he finished quickly. "She was better than all the tecs in the department so I could go and talk to her when I needed to."

Donna smiled, feeling comfort for the first time that night. She was learning about her little girl. How she helped people, including the police. She took comfort from this.

Donna decided to share a little. "Thank you for this. Thank you for sharing a part of her with me that I didn't know about. She was so closed off for so long. First her dad left and then her college boyfriend died, or we thought he did. She hid behind her computers for such a long time. You seem to have brought her back to life, so thank you. You say she'd been there for you, but you didn't know her before. She's alive again, living her life." She walked to Oliver and kneeled in front of him "And you, Oliver, you've given her the type of love I didn't even know existed. I am so grateful for that."

"But it's my fault, this is my fault." Oliver replied.

"It's not, you know" Donna answered "Felicity has always made her own choices, especially tonight. It's the people who shot up your limo's fault. They shot my baby girl. And from what I understand, you saved her. You got her away. Please don't blame yourself."

Oliver looked at Donna, the mother of his fiance, and saw so much of Felicity in her. The strength, the good heart. Donna was comforting them when she should have been falling apart. They both had tears in their eyes... 

As they heard the door open then they both turned, and saw a doctor walk into the room.

"Ms Smoak, Mr Queen......."  

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews, comments and kudos feed my muse.


End file.
